Down the Rabbit Tunnel And Back Again
by MCRvampette
Summary: Chihiro celebrates her sixteenth birthday. Strange memories plague her of a boy she never met, of a place she's never been, and a love she never felt. ChihiroxHaku. Lemon in future chapters hence Rated-M.
1. It Begins

Descending from the sky, his hand in mine. "You did it, Chihiro! I remember. I remember my name! It was-" Stop. Static. There He is again. "Don't talk to me. And address me as Master-" More static.

"Chihiro, honey! Wake up!" A dream. Just a dream. About a simple boy. And a simple girl.

With a grumble, Chihiro stumble from her bed toward the bathroom. That dream had come and gone, night after night. And it stung that she could never remember who he was.

Brushing her teeth, she wonder where he was from. _I feel as though I know him. I'm sure it was just a dream I had._ A dream. The word hurt, because she didn't really believe he wasn't real.

Bumbling down the stairs, she slips into the kitchen, and is greeted by the smell of egg and sausage. "Morning dear." Her mother set the plate of food in front of her, and with a kiss to her forehead, "Happy birthday."

She flusters, hating when her mother treats her like she's... ten. Today was a special day, it was. Chihiro had turned sixteen.

"Are you sure you do not want a party? Or a little get together? You only celebrate this birthday once."

Chihiro smiles at her, and replies softly, "It's alright, mom. I just want to enjoy this on my own."

Her mother frowned, knowing very well why she wanted to.

Ever since they had moved here, she felt out of place. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty, she was. It wasn't that she wasn't smart, She is. It was because of what happened before. Before.

_Waking up. Six years had passed since... I don't remember. It was so long ago. Shouldn't dwell on the past._

"Chihiro! You'll be late for school!"

_Thank you, father._

Grace was something she had yet to fully master, and this morning was no exception. As she ran down the hall toward her locker, Chihiro had tripped over a crack in the side walk and ran right into a wall.

It almost reminded her of running down... stairs. No. Not that again.

Slipping into the classroom, She knows the teacher is turning a blind eye to her. _She knows it's my birthday. I wish she didn't._

"Class. We have a special occasion today." _Oh lord_. "Chihiro has turned the wonderful 16." _She did._

At least 20 pairs of eyes turned to look at Chihiro. Like owls... or toads.

Yoshi leaned over and whispered, "Sixteen? Why didn't you tell me?" She shot him a soft glare.

His response was an impish grin that clearly implied more was in store for Chihiro later. Someone called out a happy birthday, and she sunk slowly into my chair. She hoped to disappear but she would never be so lucky.

Hands over her eyes. Stumbling towards what? It reminded her of walking down a tunnel. Yoshi had his hands over her eyes, and the way the light peeked through his fingers gave her tingles she could not place the origins from.

"Almost there…"

Chihiro chewed her cheek softly.

"Okay."

His hands lifted, and she was blinded by light. She was confronted by a tunnel.

A long, familiar tunnel.

"Yoshi…"

Her voice quivered and she didn't know why.

"I thought we could… explore together."

Turning to face him, he had a backpack in one hand, and was pulling out a can of juice.

She felt the wind tug on her, wanting her.

"We could find a place to picnic. I know it's not… normal for a boy to pack a lunch for a girl, but…"

He trailed off, but Chihiro was not paying attention.

Her breathing was shallow and uneven.

"Chihiro?"

…

"Chihiro?"

_Sen._

"What?" She turned to look at him.

"You were daydreaming. I knew you'd like this tunnel!"

Her face was troubled, and when he took her hand, she yanked it away. Her face had contorted into fear.

"Hm? Chihiro? What's wrong?"

Yoshi analyzed her face. Her petrified, pale face.

"I don't want to. I want to go home." She turned and began running.

"Chihiro! Chihiro wait!"  
The wind hit her face bitterly. Tears were sliding from her eyes into her hair. Everything she passed resembled translucent creatures that were familiar but were like unobtainable mist. She turned down a road, and stopped.

Chihiro panted heavily, and came face to face with a long path of cherry blossoms. They were falling gracefully and heavily perfumed the air. She stared down the path, and just then a gust of heavy air blew through the path, sending the petals to swirl around her. They whispered to her.

"Sen…"

"Sen…"

"Sen…"

"Come back…"

"We miss you…"

"Sen…"


	2. I promise

AN: Golly, guys! I am glad some people liked my first chapter. ^ ^. I'll try to update this weekly, I promise. Anyway. This is a sort of short chapter, so sit back, relax and enjoy!

Chihiro laid in bed for hours. The next day was a Sunday, leaving her school-less and with way too much time to think. She rolled over, and the red from her alarm clock read 4:45AM.

It was too early to do anything but continue to think of the voices that called to her. Yoshi had found her curled up behind a trashcan. It took him an hour to cox her away from her spot.

She shut her eyes tightly, replaying his words over and over, "If you're not interested in the tunnel, that's fine. No reason to run off."

Chihiro opened her eyes.

_I want to go back. _

With a silent step, she approached her dresser, and tugged open the top drawer, removed her jewelry box and took a deep breath.

Lifting the lid, and tugging out a small compartment, she revealed a pink elastic tie.

Immediately taken back to the moment it was given to her.

A plump, wrinkled hag had given it to Chihiro as a present. There were others there…

_Who were they?_

Chihiro had a sneaking suspicion she would remember them if she came back to the tunnel.

The idea frightened her to the brink of nausea.

It was at that moment she knew she needed to find the answers to this origin less fear.

She sidled around the squeaky floorboards of her room to her closet, quietly tugging it open, and removing a small backpack.

She dropped some extra clothes in, just in case she got dirty and needed to cover up her little discretion.

She snuck downstairs and stored a sandwich, a bottled water, and some extra band-aids.

Chihiro opened the kitchen door that led into the backyard, and with a glance at the clock reading 5:08, she left the house and walked down the road.

It was cold and dark out. A cat jumped in front of her, and she smiled at it, it hissed a response back.

The morning dew on all the plants she passed as she left civilization twinkled at her. The horizon growing pink with the day's progression.

Walking down a déjà vu road, both literally and figuratively, she emerged between two trees and stared at the tunnel.

The still air around her made her feel uncomfortable and afraid.

Chihiro gulped.

_I am not afraid._

As she walked closer to the opening, a wind disturbed her hair, leaving her breathless and even more nervous.

Her hand rested on the tunnel's wall.

_Here I go._


	3. Alter Silence

AN: I honestly could not wait.

I want to dedicate this chapter of randomness to Cam277 for a long and happy review. :3.

I was hit with inspiration. ^ ^; Anyway. This one is a little goofy and I actually almost went down the "OHMUHGAWD HORROR HORROR DECAY DECAY ANGST" and all that. I wasn't sure anyone would like that too much.

Let me know if you guys like these okay? Reviews are much appreciated for the fragile beginner writers like myself!

; So here's this chapter instead~!

Chihiro stood outside that tunnel. She had been slowly sliding her foot into the tunnel, a cm at a time.

_Here I go…_

Another fourth of a cm.

_Almost there…_

She felt the sun beating down on her neck. She inhaled deeply before running into the tunnel. Her shoes pummeled the ground, echoes sounding all over the room.

She encountered an alter sort of room. She immediately stopped.

Chihiro felt it was required she walk this section with as little noise as possible. 

Something about it was unsettling and made the hair on her arms stand straight up.

She walked forward cautiously and chewed her lip subconsciously.

Finally reaching the end of the room, she walked a little faster through the tunnel with more fear than she had entered with.

Chihiro saw the end of the light. It reminded her vaguely of the way people spoke of death.

_Follow the light._

She stopped. There was a voice calling her name. It was soft, and a boy's voice. It caused goose bumps to rise, and her heart to pound a little faster. Not because she was hearing voices but of something else.

A haze began to cloud her vision.

Everything was slowing down, the sound of water trickling was lulling her into a spiraling darkness.

She passed a giant radish who looked like his life was malaise, next was a giant duck-like creature waddling about, and soon she came face to face with a young boy. The boy from her dreams.

_Chihiro._

She opened her eyes. She was still standing in the tunnel.

A new wave of strength came over her, and with a gulp she stepped forward.

A giant gust of wind hit her hard in the face causing her to stumble back and shield her face.

Chihiro looked forward again, determination crossed her sweaty face.

_That's it._

"STOP."

The wind came to a stop immediately.

She ran down the tunnel, her face still covered with such a ferocity she almost looked like a… a **toad**.

When she had finally emerged from the tunnel, she was greeted by a soft breeze and green fields.

It was breath-taking.

Chihiro walked forward. Everything so alien yet so familiar. She looked at the ground, and smiled.

As she walked along, looking down at the flowers and breathing deeply the perfumed air of natural scents.

She came across a small creek and crossed it happily. She only slipped once. It almost felt like an accomplishment…

Finally, she closed in on the small town that she had spotted after the creek. It was a long row of shops and lined with cobble stoned walk ways.

She smelled food.

_*gurgle*_

Chihiro hadn't eaten breakfast. She loved the smell of the food. It was amazing, she wanted to eat it.

Approaching the stand, she called out.

"Hello?"

…

"Anyone there?"

…

Nothing. Absolute silence. Chihiro shuffled awkwardly before deciding it would be best to eat her sandwich instead of eating and waiting until the people returned.

She pulled her pack around and unzipped it. She had been walking up some steps as she rummaged around. She was searching for a place to eat.

Chihiro looked up.

_Huh._

"A bathhouse…"

She found her sandwich and stood at the start of a bridge. A soft breeze tickled her face.

_Sen._


	4. Submerged

AN: Here's the next update. I hope you all like it and please leave me a review. They really do encourage me to write more and make these chapters amazing.

Chihiro licked her lips.

There stood a young man of about twenty or twenty-one. His grey-blue hair shone brightly at her in the sunlight. His eyes pierced her own, and her insides squirmed.

He swallowed and began crossing the bridge, and she was unable to move from the spot she stood.

A loud caw erupted from overhead, and the young man became startled and looked up.

Chihiro took this moment to turn and dash away from him.

Following behind her was a gust of wind, perfumed with cherry blossom leaves. Only the leaves hurt when they made contact with her skin. Small cuts were left were the petals connected.

She was afraid, and as she turned a corner, she slowed into a jog before stopping to catch her breath.

She lifted her head and looked around, and there was a new realization. She was very, very lost.

Chihiro hated herself for running so blindly. She walked for what felt like hours, trying to find her way back to a familiar place. The whole town felt like a giant labyrinth that was swallowing her further and further.

Each time, she'd find herself coming back toward the bathhouse, but when attempting to go the way she had originally come from, she'd emerge once more in front of the bathhouse.

The sun was setting.

As it darkened, lights began to brighten the streets, and after walking a street she had walked countless times by now, there was a new, smaller street tucked between two.

_I never noticed that before…_

A sense of hope forced Chihiro to run down it.

There was the food stand she had passed! She felt her heart race harder, and she heard the water.

A grin erupted onto her face, and when she saw the bank, her eyes teared.

**SPLASH**

The water was freezing and sent her muscles into a rigorous state.

She lost all footing on the mossy ground below her, and she went under.

Chihiro sputtered and cried for help, but the water was claiming her as a new victim.

The only thought to cross her mind was, _The water has come back to finish the job._

And she sunk slowly into the dark abyss.

AN: I almost left this as a cliff hanger. . But I hate when fanfics do that, so I won't. ^.^

Chihiro awoke in some grass completely surrounded by hedges. She pulled herself up.

Her lungs hurt as she breathed in the air, and she coughed out some water.

She pulled her knees to her face, something she hadn't done in years and cried softly.

A rustle in the leaves shook her from her malaise state.

She looked up and found herself staring into the same young man she saw earlier.

His face was no longer angry but was soft-featured and caring. He kneeled by her, and despite the fear she felt before, she was calm with him there.

He smiled reassuringly, brushing back his hair and reached into the pocket of his yukata overcoat.

He pulled a handkerchief that was folded plainly into a square, and unwrapped it slowly, pulling out a small handful of what looked like blackberries.

Chihiro nodded and took them, eating them one by one.

"Thank you…"

She felt her face burn with shyness and confusion. She knew this boy from her dreams, only this man was older and more… handsome.

He sat there, staring at her. She chewed her lip, "What's your name?"

At this question, his face twisted into a grimace, before he took her hand and ran it over his closed mouth.

"..Oh…!"

She felt the scar-like bumps that indicated his mouth had been sewn shut.


	5. Identity

AN: SORRY GUYS. I didn't update this for a few weeks, but I did not have access to an internet, let alone to my beloved fanfic. So here are two chapters to make up for my absence.

Chihiro sat there for a few minutes, staring into the eyes of a boy who showed her true kindness.

With a frown, she took his hand.

"We'll play a game."

He looked at her quizzically.

"I'll go through the alphabet, and each letter that is right, you can squeeze my hand. That's like cheating the system, huh?"

He smiled at her, nodding vigorously.

"A."

Nothing.  
"B."

Nothing.

This went on until she reached "H." She felt a strong squeeze.

"H! Perfect. Lets keep this up."  
But after going through the entire letter system, she only had "H".

A deep crease knitted her brow, and she pondered for a moment.

"Would you mind… if I called you… Hajime?"  
{AN: Hajime means "Beginning"}

His eyes searched mine with sadness before he nodded. I took his hand in mine, which was cold and clammy.

She gasped, as a scene played out in her head. It was of a door. An intricately carved door made of aspen wood.

The cold hand she had been holding onto tightly pulled away from her. When she looked up, Hajime was trembling, his eyes wide and his lips pursed.

"I'm sorry!"  
Chihiro apologized but she was not sure what it was she was apologizing for.

He rose up, his eyes looking off into the distance and he looked down at her, unsure of how to tell her what was on his clearly troubled mind.

He took her hand, this time with a guarded expression and another scene played out in front of her. A bridge- Wait- A stairwell? A Door.

Not the same door she had seen before, but a bland brown one. He released her.

Hajime pointed at her, and with his index and middle finger, made a walking motion.

"You want me to… go that path?"

He nodded.

"Will you come with me?"

He shook his head.

"Oh…"

Chihiro chewed her lip for a minute, before he tugged at her shirt impatiently. 

_What do I do?_

Before she could think over it anymore, he took her hand and led her back up an alley, and further into the labyrinth she had spent so much time earlier trying to escape.


	6. Trustless

They walked for quite a ways, before they reached the building she had first seen him at.

Chihiro impulsively raised her hand to the small cuts the petals had made on her flesh.

For once, she really looked at Hajime. This kind boy who looked ready to kill when she first saw him, and who had inflicted pain upon her body.

_He didn't mean to…_

But she continued to think about him. He wasn't a stranger to her dreams, but this was reality. (Was it?) And she knew him. (Did she?)

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts.

Hajime caught her eye and stared at her inquisitively, but she merely smiled and lowered her eyes in shame.

A squeeze of her hand made her look at him.

He inhaled and made exaggerated gestures.

"Hold my breath?"

He nodded with a small smile.

"How long?"

He made an arc and the walking fingers again, crossing the arc.

"Across the bridge?"

He nodded again.

Chihiro felt her lungs stricken already.

"Okay…"

Hajime squeezed her hand a few times in comfort, but it only forced her stomach to flip a few times in uneasiness.

When she looked up, he looked at her.

A few deep breaths, a squeeze to his hand to let him know she was ready, and an inhale.

They walked across the bridge.

Chihiro walked, her lips would pucker, and struggle to open but she dare not allow them.

They scurried and reached the other side. As soon as they crossed the bridge's end, Chihiro let out a woosh of air. Her lungs hurt from all the kept air.

During their crossing, Hajime had kept his eyes to the sky.

When she looked at him, he looked troubled, but when she asked him, he shook his head and offered her a slight grin to congratulate her.

Chihiro looked back to examine her surroundings. There were signs that said **Bathhouse. **

They walked into the building, no longer hand in hand.

She began to remove her shoes for the tatami mat's sake, but Hajime stopped her. He gestured for her to stay close, but Chihiro began to wonder about their current predicament.

When they had crossed the bridge, or walked through the town for that matter, they had not encountered a single person.

The **Bathhouse** was deserted.


	7. Whispers

As Chihiro and Hajime walked up the steps and into the building, Chihiro's heart began to pound with vague recognition of this place. She shuddered slightly, and Hajime looked at her with his blue-gray eyes curiously.

They walked into the building, no longer hand in hand.

"I'm fine."

She felt a twinge of hysteria in her, but kept on walking. Passing hallways, and rooms with large tubs in them. The Tatami mats had certainly taken a beating.

They walked for what felt like hours, Chihiro not saying anything.

_How funny… I haven't taken a break in a while…_

She began to remove her shoes for the tatami mat's sake, but Hajime stopped her. He gestured for her to stay close, but Chihiro began to wonder about their current predicament.

When they had crossed the bridge, or walked through the town for that matter, they had not encountered a single person.

Everything felt foreign and smelled strongly of dust.

After a few silent moments interrupted only by the shuffles of their feet, he stopped her and furrowed her brow.

"Now what?"

He didn't look at her, and she realized he was trembling. She took his hand and tugged gently.

"H-Hey?"

She followed his gaze and saw the door.

They had seen a lot of plain, wooden doors, some that had been split in half, or even on the ground, a few were lucky to be in tact.

None were like this door.

Everything about this door screamed decadent.

Bright, unnaturally red wood, with a golden border, intricate designs carved into it. Beautiful, and one would be unable to stop staring at it for less than 30 seconds. Which is how long it took them to come back to reality.

Hajime squeezed her hand tightly, her knuckles popping.

She let out a small squeak of protest.

"Ow!"

He released and looked at her apologetically.

Chihiro inhaled softly, the door giving her the heebie-jeebies.

"S…should we go in?"

Immediately she felt rude and blushed.

He shook his head at her, and she nodded.

As they quickly walked past it, something pulled at Chihiro.

_Sen… Come in…_

The door seemed to tremble as the words came from it.

Chihiro reached forward to touch the door, when Hajime slapped her hand out of the air. _Hard._

She backed up, cradling her hand. 

"What?"

A wild glint in his eye forced her to be careful of what she did next.

He reached out and touched the door.

The moment there was contact, he turned blue.

Chihiro screamed as he fell to the ground; frozen.

The door began to smoke and turn from red and gold to ashy and black.

A large chunk of the upper corner gave way and fell toward Hajime's frozen body.

Chihiro flung herself into him, pushing him hard out of the way, but her foot was not fast enough to avoid getting hit.

She shrieked out in pain, saw stars cloud her vision then nothingness.


	8. Swine

Chihiro opened her eyes slowly.

Everything was fuzzy at first.

When the room cleared, Chihiro sat up and looked around her room.

Sunlight streamed in, and she had a horrible headache.

"Chihiro, honey! Are you awake?"

Her mother called her, and she scowled, which was immediately interrupted by a yawn.

She swung her legs off the bed, and stood up.

Pain shot through her foot and she collapsed onto the floor. Her body went limp as she cradled her foot.

_OW. What on earth…?_

She gently squeezed it, and the pain she felt had already dulled to an annoying throbbing.

She crawled on her hands and knees to the door and opened it.

"I'm awake!"

Chihiro slowly got up, testing her weight on her foot, which no longer hurt. She brushed her hair back and cautiously limped toward her dresser.

She examined her face in her mirror, reached for her brush.

_Huh._

Her brush was not where she usually kept it. She quirked a brow, turning her head to look around her room. Her brush was nowhere to be seen.

Chihiro looked back at the mirror, but in the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow.

She whipped her head around, only to face an empty room. Her head hurt something fierce.

_Didn't mother call me?_

She turned to the door, only to catch her reflection in the mirror, and at a glance, it almost looked like she was a shadow. A shadow with a white, expressionless face.

"H-hey!" 

Chihiro called as she did a double-take to the mirror. Her face looked foreign. Paler, but not white.

She began to shake slightly, she quickly walked to her door and opened it. She walked slowly down the hallway, toward the staircase.

"Mom?"

She descended the stairs, and found her mother in the kitchen, facing away from her.

"Good morning, honey."

Her mother turned slowly to face her.

Chihiro let out a loud, blood-curdling scream.

The face of a demented pig stared at her.

A pig's face, with her mother's hair, her mother's clothes, her mother's shoes, and even her mother's scent. Lemony fresh.

AN:

HI GUYS. I'm not dead, I swear. This chapter, and the last chapter aren't exactly the best, and I do apologize that they're so short. I know I said I would try to update weekly, but I was hit the worst writer's block. I will try to add a third chapter tonight, so you're not all like, 'Wait, what? Pig mom?"

I have a plot set up, but I hate the filler parts to get from A to B. XD.


	9. Where'd you go?

Chihiro thrashed on the cold floor, screams erupting from her throat. She grabbed her hair, trying to get the images out of her head. Her eyes open, but not seeing Hajime sitting by her, staring at her. His knees to his chin. Almost like he was waiting for her to stop. He wasn't afraid.

After a few more minutes passed, her screams subsided.

Her eyes lost the glazed look.

Her breathing becoming soft and shallow.

"Haku…"

Chihiro rolled over. Her eyes settling on Hajime. A moment of recognition.

As quickly as the word had graced Hajime's ears, the light was gone.

"Hajime?"

She reached for his hand, and he took it. She tried to sit up, but he gently pressed her back down.

"It's cold…"

Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes welled with tears.

"I miss my mom…"

He released her hands and scooted away from her.

"Why am I here?"

He slowly got to his feet.

"Who are you?"

He turned away from her.

"What do I do?"

He walked down the hallway, away from her. The last she saw was his gray-blue hair swishing out of sight around the corner. 

Chihiro sat there before pulling her knees her chest, but the moment she moved her foot, it surged with pain.

_Right…_

That's why she had passed out. From this injury.

She inhaled, closed her eyes, exhaled.

_!. 2. 3._

She pulled her foot to her, inhaling sharply, and opened her eyes.

She looked down, and saw the large, blue and black bruise on her ankle.

Chihiro ran her fingers over it, before pressing on it gently, ignoring the spikes of pain.

Nothing broken.

Just horribly bruised.

She tried flexing her foot. It hurt, but it was bearable. This made things harder, but not impossible.

She scooted on her butt towards the wall, and using it for support, got to her feet.

_My clumsiness will certainly make this…_

She giggled softly.

Chihiro realized something.

"Hajime?"

The name echoed, going unanswered.

She looked down.

_Great._

She steadied herself on the wall, and slowly began walking. The wall was a crutch, and made it easier.

Where the door had been, all that was left was a large, black scorch mark.


	10. Mute

AN: Holy sheepies, Batman! I'm alive! I'm terribly sorry, everyone for my unintentional hiatus. I was dealing with my senior year of high school, college stuff, and lots of work. Goodness. It's all done and over with now! So now I'm trying to get back up on my feet with this fic. All your reviews were much appreciated and read them all at least 10 times. I felt so wretched for not giving you all something to read, but fear not! This is a chapter to get the ball rolling again. I hope you all enjoy!

-

Chihiro felt alone, but she held her head high. There was no time for tears. She had a purpose, and that was to…

_Wait, what's my purpose?_

She frowned a bit. She had hobbled outside, wanting to get as far away from the black marks. They made her uneasy. She walked the lone bathhouse hallways. She had not noticed before, but her clothes were a downright mess.

_Probably from rolling on the ground._

Chihiro missed Hajime, but she had a feeling she needed to keep moving. She was strong enough to make it through this.

She pushed a door open, and there in the middle of the room, was a large bowl!  
No… it was a bathtub. She wrinkled her nose involuntarily. A faint smell wafted by her nose. It was horrible. Like a giant dumpster, dead animals, and her grandmother all in one.

Chihiro slipped out of the room and into the hallway. She kept moving through the mess of halls, leading to rooms similar to the bathtub room. It only made sense. This was a **Bathhouse** after all.

Something scuttled across the floor in front of her. She froze. A soft scratching noise was heard. She rested against the wall and slid down to the floor. She saw two eyes peaking at her from a small mouse hole.

"H…hi, there…"

It flinched but did not run.

_What is it…_

She got on all fours and peeked in. A grey, fat mouse looked back at her. A shiver went down her spine, but she smiled and stuck out a shaky hand out toward it.

"Hi. You're harmless, aren't you?"

The mouse waddled over to her hand, and squeaked softly.

Chihiro smiled. She flattened her hand, and the creature slowly crawled into her hand. His girth made it difficult to move too quickly. She cupped him and lifted him to her face.

_So familiar…_

"Chu~" It softly kissed her thumb. This made her blush and bring it to her face to cuddle it.

"Thank you…"

This small being brought familiarity and comfort to her for reasons she didn't quite know. It looked up at her, and she softly asked, "Want to come with me?" She did not expect an answer from a mouse, and she felt a little silly for asking, but he gave her the smallest of nods.

Chihiro had not felt this happy since she came here. She smiled and rested him on her shoulder. He clung to her, and she scooted over to the wall again, rising.

It felt nice having another companion. She had gotten used to those who could not speak.


	11. False

Chihiro and her new mousy friend found themselves in the middle of what looked like living quarters. It was rundown and gray, but the sleeping mats and blankets were in closets with sliding doors. In another closet were pink work clothes.

She looked down at her own dirty clothes.

_Right._

No one would miss a shirt, and pants. She certainly needed them more than whoever had been in the bathhouse before, especially since they just left everything.

Chihiro set down the newly named "Nezumi". She was never clever with names. He did not seem to mind.

She sifted through the clothes, looking for something that would fit. She pulled a pink workman's shirt, a white undershirt, and a pink pair of pants. She looked around shyly, Nezumi had turned to face the wall, and she was grateful.

She pulled her shirt over her head, and let it fall silently to the floor. She heard a soft sliding noise, and a soft gasp.

Chihiro turned her head quickly, and there standing in the doorway was Hajime.

She yelped, and he blushed, quickly covering his eyes, "I'M SORRY!" He turned around.

She froze.

_Did he just speak_?

o-o-o-o

After Chihiro shook off her shocked numbness, she quickly changed and stepped out into the hallway.

"Hello?"

Hajime turned to face her, his hand behind his head, showing his shame. "I'm terribly sorry… I didn't even… I heard movement and I… I apologize."

She bit her lip. "Do you know me?"

He looked at her, "I saw you earlier. On the bridge. I'm sorry for attacking you like that. People keep trying to destroy this place ever since it…" He trailed off, then started again, more happily. "My name is Haruto." {AN: Haruto means Cleared one; Reserved}

Chihiro's jaw hit the floor.

"Oh. Well, uhm. Hello."

None of this made sense. She felt her head swim dizzily.

Haruto smiled slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss…?"

She shakily extended a hand, "Sen."

She was not exactly sure why she had lied like that, but he continued to smile, but did not take her hand. "So tell me… what are you doing here?"

Chihiro let out a nervous laugh.

"I honestly don't know."

That wasn't a lie.


	12. History

After Chihiro got dressed, she exited the room. Haruto looked at her and smiled slyly. "You bring back such fond memories."

She looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

His face rippled from what looked like happiness to confusion to a slight frown. "Oh, you just look like a worker here." She smiled cautiously.

"So what exactly happened here? Where is everyone?"

"Ah… well." He ran his fingers through his grey hair. He leaned against the faded wall and blew out some hair. His casual stance made her a little uneasy.

He licked his lips, "Well. The woman in charge, the head of this town you could say. She ran this bathhouse for the spirits. The big spirits. River spirits, Earth spirits, Horse king spirits. You name it. They came here to relax and get comfortable. Soak away their days in our baths. Her name was Yubaba-."

Chihiro felt her heart flutter at that name.

"Anyway, she had a worker here. A cute young girl who had come here by mistake. Anyway, Yubaba-." Every time he said that name, she felt her insides tighten.

"Had wanted to keep this girl. She was not like the rest of us. She was… er.. human. Like yourself."

This puzzled Chihiro. "How did you know that?"

Haruto wrinkled his nose. "Well, you." He looked for the words. "You smell."  
_I smell great, thank you very much._

"I smell? What.. I…" She sniffed her left forearm and then her hair.

"You have a distinct smell to you. Don't take offense. This girl smelled much worse than you did. You'll lose the smell in a few days, don't worry."

"A few DAYS? I don't want to be here for a few days. I… I should go home." Chihiro stumbled over her words, her hands started to shake. She bit her tongue and sat on the floor. Nezumi crawled into her lap and nipped her hands softly, comforting.

Haruto ignored her, "Anyway. Yubaba had a right hand boy. He was her slave. Her puppet. Yubaba could control anyone. That is, if she had the right tools. This girl was special to that boy. He wanted to help her get out. To get away from Yubaba. It cost him a lot in the end. That girl got out. She escaped. Now, when the boy returned, he… he paid dearly."

Chihiro had calmed down and looked at Haruto. "He paid? How? What could that… that woman have done to him?"

"Uh, well." Haruto stood up straight and started walking slowly away from her. "She sewed his mouth shut."


	13. Scales

Chihiro gulped. "She… _WHAT?_" She put Nezumi in her shirt pocket and stood up, quickly catching up to Haruto. "What do you mean she sewed his mouth shut?"

He didn't look at her. "He talked too much and that was his punishment. Along with other things."

Her heart was racing and Nezumi was moving around, trying to get comfortable so he could sleep.  
"What other things?"

He kept walking, either not hearing her or refusing to acknowledge the question.

_They look exactly the same. Except Haruto can speak. I'm so confused. What is happening?_

"So, where is Yubaba now?"

Haruto glanced at her, "Well, she's dead. Did something nasty to too many people and finally, someone didn't like it. They crept into her home and murdered her with her own magic."

Chihiro had trouble breathing at that moment and rested a hand against the wall. "So did… everyone just… leave?"

"No one was attached to this place anymore. So they… dispersed. Went to their families, to other towns. Not even the shadows can own this town anymore. It's a waste land."

"So, what are you doing here?" _And why did you attack me?_

"Well, I've been here a long time. I was closer to Yubaba then people thought, but had to keep that a secret or else they would have killed me. The boy that got his lips sewn up, he was attacked also. Just for being associated with that she witch of a woman. He was brutally hurt. Some people tried to help him, because they knew it was his doing that weakened Yubaba by helping that girl. People tried to stand up for him, but sometimes people stay bitter."

Haruto stepped into a strange elevator and beckoned her in. She stepped in carefully, eyeing the contraption.

It descended. She felt like she was going into the bowels of hell at that moment. Chihiro couldn't describe the feeling.

"So… what was this boy's name?"  
Haruto coughed softly. "I cannot tell you."

She cringed, "Why?"

"Because that's part of his curse. His name is his curse. If a person can break it, then he will be freed to do what he wants."

This puzzled Chihiro. "So why doesn't anyone just say his name? Are people that cruel? What about those who stood up for him?"

"They do not want to get caught up in that. It has to be spoken by the girl. The girl he saved. Which, there is no chance of that happening. She will never return."

Chihiro chewed her lip viciously, her thoughts swirling and entangling her.

"Sen, look. It's best to just not think about it. You should worry about going home. Not being here. It's never safe here for humans."

Chihiro nodded. The elevator came to an abrupt stop, causing her to stumble into Haruto. The moment she made contact, her skin went cold and her heart nearly stopped. He looked down at her, his face filled with shock and loathing. She was faced with a cruel-looking dragon's face. Just his face had transformed, his body remained that of a boy.

She felt her eyes roll back into her head and the world fading, but she gulped down that uneasiness and quickly stepped back.

"I..I'm sorry…" She stuttered. Haruto's face returned to normal but with a snarl. "You…"

She took a few steps back, he was closing in on her quickly and she had to think fast.

Chihiro slammed the elevator lever up, and jumped off the platform. Haruto was caught off-guard and with a blood-curdling howl, he rose up, staring at her.

She took off running down the hallways, hoping to a higher power that she'd escape this place and that monster.

_Now I definitely want to go home._

She hurled herself around corners, her feet softly pattering against the floors. She passed doors after doors. She couldn't stop now.

Her lungs were burning now, and she needed air. Chihiro couldn't stop now though. She needed to escape. She needed to get home.

The next corner she turned, a pale hand shot out catching her mouth and near clothes lining her. Another arm caught her as she fell back. She struggled as she was dragged into a dark room.

Chihiro looked up at her captor, and she saw the face of a gorgeous boy with lips sewn shut.

a/n: Hey guys. I hope you like these two chapters I've put up. I've got the plot really going now. There's some history for you and a little action. I'm hoping to put in a bit more within the upcoming weeks. Please leave a review and your thoughts. They really inspire me to add more. I cannot begin to tell you guys how much each review gets me going. 3 With love, Feather.


	14. Familiarity

A/N: It's been almost a year since I've updated this poor fan fiction. I hope you can all forgive my lack of updates. I felt really inspired to write something here. To offer another chapter to those of you who have read this or still hope for an update. Here you are. Please enjoy.

-o-o-o-o-

Chihiro's heart beat violently against her rib cage. She stood still, Hajime's hand still pressed over her mouth, and against the small of her back. The only noises to be heard was the sound of the newly disturbed dust settling back down onto the wooden structures of the Bathhouse and Nezumi softly chattering.

There was no sign that Haruto had decided to pursue her. The image of his scaled, dragon face was burned into her mind. Now and again a dragon would grace her dreams, but nothing like this ferocious, cold creature that breathed onto her face.

Things started to make sense as Chihiro reflected on their encounter. He refused to touch her or go near her.

Lost in her own world, she was brought back to reality as Hajime slow took his hand from her mouth.

_How strange. They look exactly the same…_

"…But you can't speak."

The grey-haired man looked at her pleadingly. Willing her to remember anything about her time here once before.

"You're the one Yu…Yu…" The name caught in her throat, like claws pressing into her vocal chords.

"Yubaba silenced." Hajime flinched at the name and nodded slowly.

"That's why you couldn't help me with your name either…" Chihiro's brow furrowed.

Her thoughts were scattered and while a few pieces fit together, she was missing something else. They needed to leave or else there was a greater risk of being discovered by Haruto. She knew then that he was not the one to be trusted. She couldn't figure out their connection or why they looked so similar.

Hajime's fingers curled and grasped around the pink fabric on her shoulder. She turned her attention to the mute boy, and he reached into the pocket of his yukata, producing bits of paper.

"...Train tickets. That's why you left. To go get them." _But why couldn't I have gone along? Why did you leave me?_

-o-o-o-o-

Hajime led the way to a small, wooden panel in the wall. There was a little curve in the wood to indicate it was a sliding door. Chihiro reached out to pull the door open, but he caught her hand, quickly shaking his head. He instead reached out, braced himself, and touched the rotted wood. There was no freezing or burning this time. The door resisted opening at first, but after a bit of force, it made a loud, cracking noise as it slid open for the first time in many years.

Chihiro crawled into the newly opened room. To her left was a wall of drawers all the way to the ceiling. There was a furnace that had long grown cold and a work bench to her right. Everything felt so familiar and comforting.

"Boiler man…" She had no idea why she said it. She couldn't understand the amount of sorrow and loss her heart felt for a place she'd never been. She walked forward to the step. There were small mouse-like holes on the left side, beneath the drawers. She sat down and tears fell silently down her cheeks.

_Oh._

She pulled her legs to her chest and softly cried for someone she didn't know. A familiar place.

Hajime stood to the side as the girl softly mourned something she couldn't quite grasp.

Nezumi rested on Chihiro's knee, resting his paw on her arm. She glanced down at him and offered a small smile.

She composed herself long enough to notice a pair of eyes glancing up at her from the mouse hole. There was no fear for anything in this room. She moved onto the lower floor and offered a hand to the eyes looking at her.

A small, black ball slowly moved out to greet her hand. It looked up at her with a sad expression in its eyes with a faint glimmer of recognition.

"A ball of soot."


	15. Colours

**AN: Here you are. I wrote as much as I could and I hope to wrap this up sometime soon. It's time this project came to an end. **

Chihiro let the ball of soot run along her fingers, but the tiny black ball moved sluggishly and seemed to move slower by the second. Her heart sank as she realized what was wrong.

"You're the last one…"

Again, it looked at her with those sad eyes.

Hajime had started inspecting the platform nearest to the furnace, before pulling open drawers, looking for something but Chihiro did not know what.

She had the ball of soot in the palm of her hand, and she slowly raised it eye level. It crept closer to her face and chirped softly. Soon she was crying and she couldn't understand why. Why did she recognize this tiny little creature fueled by dying magic. Why did she feel it was her fault Hajime was mutilated, or that this bathhouse was in shambles. Her heart was aching now for a lost familiarity. For the former resident of this boiler room.

Hajime knelt by her, resting a tentative hand on her back. She looked up at him, and he held out shimmering, colourful star-shaped candy. He put his hand next to hers and the soot moved to his palm, black tendrils reaching out to the confections. It started to dissolve the sugar before swirling around as if it was drunk. It looped and jumped becoming more graceful.

Chihiro let out a soft chuckle through her tears.

"That's all you needed, huh? Just a little sugar and love."

The ball of soot looked up at her, eyes full of a new fire. It danced around and around before jumping from Hajime's hand and scuttling into the mouse hole.

Just like that, the little ball of soot was gone.

"I'm glad someone is happy…"

Chihiro stood and looked around the room once more. While everything felt familiar and terrifying, this room gave her a new sense of hope. She smiled down at Hajime, who had been watching her through the entire soot's dance and offered a tiny smile in return. She nodded once before extending her hand.

"We better get moving, huh?"

Hajime nodded and took her hand. They started towards the opposite side of the room towards a small hallway but before they stepped up and onto the platform, the soot ball emerged again, chirping for their attention.

Chihiro looked back and saw that it had brought out a tiny lump of coal. She squatted down and lifted the soot ball once more and kissed it softly. It left a small smudge of ash on her lips but she did not mind. She set it down once more but pocketed the coal.

"Thank you."She rose to look at Hajime and he quirked his head slightly. Chihiro looked at him quizzically. He raised his hand slowly to her face, his thumb resting on her bottom lip, smudging the ash from her lips.

**SLAM**

"_Oh, _Hajime, _Don't do that. That's not your place." _

Haruto kneeled in the doorway and smirked.


	16. Ascending

Chihiro felt Hajime's arm curl around her forearm and pull her down the small hallway towards the large metal door. Haruto's own cold laughter curled around her heart as her blood ran cold.

Hajime had ripped the door open and pushed her out first. He pressed the bus tickets into her hand, and gave her one last pleading look before slamming the door, leaving her alone. She screamed his name, pounding on the door.

The wind whipped across her bare back. Chihiro slowly turned away from the door. She stood on a concrete platform on the outer side of the Bathhouse. There were a set of what seemed to be stairs though they did not connect. They jutted out from the side of the bathhouse and there was no railing.

There were stairs that went down as well, but it looked as if they had crumbled into nothing further down.

Chihiro looked back at the door.

_Please let him be okay… Please. I need him._

That thought startled her. She did need him. She looked down at the crumpled ticket in her hand before nodding determinedly. Nezumi was squirming in her pocket. He was displeased with being hit with coal and then jostled around roughly.

Chihiro turned back to the precarious stairs. She swallowed hard and felt on the verge of panicking but she owed it to Hajime to do this. To herself. To her family. She rested a hand on the second step and slowly started her journey up the stairs. She begged herself to not look down.

_One step at a time._

o-o-o-o

The stairs had turned from cement to wood as they winded along the side of the building. Occasional platforms popped up where Chihiro rested briefly. She checked Nezumi, making sure he was still safely tucked in.

The climb was slow and the sun had started to peak over the horizon now. She had climbed all night before reaching the beginning of the stairs. She faced a garden against the building with sliding doors. The plants had long since died and it was more depressing to look at.

Chihiro passed by the garden and towards the bridge she crossed with Hajime so long ago. She was ready to cross it when she stopped. Hajime had her hold her breath when they first crossed. She wondered if she needed to do that now. With a hand over her mouth, she ran across the bridge, back towards the labyrinth that she had started to forget. It couldn't have been any more than a day or two that she had first crossed it.

_But it wasn't the first time in her life she had passed over it._

ooo-ooo

Chihiro had found her way down to a train station but it looked run down like the Bathhouse and the tracks had rusted.

_Why did he even give me these tickets when there isn't even a TRAIN?_

She sighed in frustration before deciding to walk the tracks, putting distance behind her and that dreadful place. Her thoughts would wander to Hajime but she chided herself for thinking the worst.

_Have faith, little Chihiro._

As the tracks winded along, she felt she had been walking for hours and the sun was setting. She had walked the entire day away. The scenery had changed from barren to foliage and greenery popping up.

Long dead trees were in her view now. A forest of dead trees. She came upon a train stop across from a path that had long been forgotten. She looked into the darkening path. She knew she couldn't travel any further in the night. Who knows what is lurking further along.

Chihiro approached the forest opening. A soft crack disturbed the tranquil scenery. She jumped back as a moving stick detached from a nearby tree. It bounced up and down excitedly. Chihiro had fallen back onto her butt out of shock. It did not seem hostile. She looked at it suspiciously. It was a long stick with a lantern attached to the top. The flame flickered pitifully before being lit with a tiny flame. She looked at it better and noticed a tiny wrinkly hand that it jumped on where it was attached to the stick at the wrist.

It hopped ahead of her as if to beckon her along the faded path. She slowly got up, though keeping her distance. She followed the hopping lamp into the forest.


End file.
